There are obvious differences between the forests of the Inter-mountain West and New England. The sheer number of species in New England forests is astounding and dwarfs what Central Idaho forests contain. Precipitation being the obvious reason. The richly colorful fungi above is known as a hemlock varnish shelf mushroom (Ganoderma tsugae) This dead hemlock has been producing these yearly. This years crop is bountiful and beautiful. Last year did not produce that many and it poured incessantly. Years past were fine. Perhaps too much water is a hindrance. They are a woody species of fungi and the too much water may not allow the solidity to form.
There are studies going on right now using these mushrooms that seem to shrink tumors in some cancers (breast and colorectal). They are edible, but supposedly chewy (ya think), but native Americans did use these medicinally as a tea and a poultice. What more is out there in our natural world that will never be discovered due to our narcissistic pursuits and lack of awareness of what is truly important.
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